


Praying Mantis

by flugantamuso



Category: Constantine (2005)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-10
Updated: 2010-01-10
Packaged: 2017-10-06 03:25:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flugantamuso/pseuds/flugantamuso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucifer has discovered a new obsession.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Praying Mantis

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Богомол](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3826828) by [Riddle_TM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riddle_TM/pseuds/Riddle_TM)



The irony of an animal that devoured it's partner during sex assuming a position of prayer never failed to delight Lucifer.

Deception, sex, and death.

It was certainly one of the more interesting of earth's creatures, and held his attention for quite a while, though not as long as the human John Constantine.

In general, humans were to be despised as the emotional, weak, easily-deceived creatures that they were. The only joy in corrupting them, aside from the joy of corruption itself, was that it irritated the One-Most-High.

But the One-Most-High hadn't been paying attention recently, which diminished Lucifer's interest in corruption and in the human race in general, and that was a pity, because it meant that the one really interesting human to enter his realm in centuries slipped through his fingers.

Arguably, John might not have become interesting if he hadn't escaped his first stay in hell, but it also made him a challenge to corrupt. Technically, Lucifer didn't have to corrupt him; John was destined for hell, Lucifer could almost feel the gossamer of his soul. But it was fun to give John a taste of what he was in for when he died, and to watch him struggle all the more, and all the more hopelessly because of it.

John was unique. Plenty of humans had visited hell, but John had _belonged_ there. The fact that something that belonged to him was out of place itched at Lucifer's mind, and combined with his growing lack of interest in the rest of the human race, it was enough to keep his attention on John.

John should have been flattered, but of course he wasn't.

The easiest way to approach John directly, as opposed to sending down hordes of half-breeds and watching the result, was to inhabit a half-breed. That posed a challenge on multiple levels. First, the half-breed in question wouldn't like having it's consciousness stuffed into the deep crevices of it's mind to make room for Lucifer, and half-breeds tended to be a lot stronger than humans. Of course, no creature even remotely related to a demon would have dared to consciously oppose the lord of hell, but unconsciously was another matter: a pressured and panicked mind would lash out unconsciously. Also, Lucifer had discovered, rather painfully, that John was stronger than most half-breeds, and being forced to suddenly vacate a half-breed's body when it was sent back to hell wasn't a pleasant experience.

In the past that had stopped Lucifer from dealing with John directly, but that was about to change. He'd found the perfect vessel to use in his pursuit of John Constantine, powerful enough that it wouldn't be easily sent back, attractive enough to catch John's interest, and it's current inhabitant had pissed Lucifer off to no end. Riding around in one's own head, unable to control, unable to do anything but watch, was an appropriate punishment.

Now all he had to do was retrieve Balthazar.

Yes, it was a perfect solution all around, with the potential to keep Lucifer busy for decades, even longer than the praying mantis had.


End file.
